NATIONAL WOMEN'S EVENTS BY RUSS EWALD MEN'S EVENTS BY KAREN CROUSE STARTING OVER MONTEREY PARK, Calif.--Nine months after the Olympic Games, the nation's top swimmers returned to Los Angeles for the 1985 Phillips 66/U.S. Swimming Short Course National Championships at East Los Angeles College. Instead of competing in the modern pool at the University of Southern California in downtown Los Angeles with thousands of fans watching, the elite of U.S. swimming performed several miles east in an L.A. suburb's junior college pool before a few hundred spec- tators. Gone was the pageantry and colorful banners, the worldwide attention, the massive media covei'age. The swimmers were starting over. Ahead is the World Championships next year in Madrid and the opportunity to finally face the Communist Bloc countries that boy- cotted the 1984 Games. And further in the future is the 1988 Games in Seoul, Korea. This year there's the Pan Pacific Swimming Associa- tion meet in August in Japan featuring the leading com- petitors from the United States, Canada, Australia and the host country. But the meet apparently hasn't cap- tured the imagination of American swimmers. When asked if she was going to the Pan Pacific, Olympic double gold medalist Tiffany Cohen replied, "I'm not sure yet." The Pan Pacific team will be chosen from the USS E Long Course Nationals in early August at Mission L~ Viejo, Calif. The tangible reward from the Short Course g Championships was a trip to the Monaco Invitational in May for the top point scorers. The leading women's scorers were Cohen, Mission Viejo, 76; Michelle Griglione, unattached, 70; Juliane Golden Bear Aquatics" Matt Biondi has hurled himself into position as Brossman, Paramus, 64; Tami Bruce, Coronado, 551/2; America's newest star sprinter. His recent national victories and Amer- Jenna Johnson, Industry Hills, 51; and Betsy Mitchell, ican records provide an impressive start for those on the road to 1988. unattached, 43. The men's top scorers were Mike O'Brien, Mission awards for performances in the 200 breaststroke. Hud- Viejo, 75; Tom Jager, Parkway, 64; Jeff Kostoff, In- son was sixth in the women's and Yakota 16th in the dustry Hills, 58; Matt Biondi, Golden Bear, 57; and Dan men's. Jorgensen, Mission Viejo, 49. Mission Viejo won its 41st and 42nd national team Coming off the Olympic fanfare with the lack of a titles by capturing the women's and combined. Because major meet this season, the swimmers set only two no one is sure when combined titles were first awarded, American records. Both came in the opening-day 1000 it's uncertain whether Mission bettered Santa Clara's freestyle and both were set by Mission Viejo swimmers. all-time record for the most team titles. U.S. Swimming Tiffany Cohen went 9:28.32 to better Kim Linehan's said Santa Clara has 43 based on former Santa Clara four-year-old mark of 9:29.97. Mike O'Brien did 8:47.38 coach George Haines' memory, while Swimming World to erase Kostoff's 8:48.57 set in 1983 and win the meet's research puts the number at 42. In any case, the Nada- Phillips Performance Award. dores will probably better the record in its home pool The rookies of the meet were eighteen-year-old this summer at the Long Course Nationals. Nadine Hudson of the Buena Swim Club in Ventura and The men's winner was Holmes Lumber of Gainesville, Mark Yakota, 17, from Mission Viejo. Both earned their Fla., which edged Mission, 376 to 3641/2. Swimming World/May 1985 55 USS NATIONALS con..ue~ Women's Events On the final night of the USS Indoors, there was a great deal of nostalgia when gold medals were presented to members of the U.S. Olympic team who swam in the morning heats of the relays. Swimming celebrities, in- cluding 1984 gold medalists Steve Lundquist and Tracy Caulkins, handed out the awards as members of the Olympic band played the same music they did for the Games' ceremonies last July in Los Angeles. However, there are several Olympians in women's swimming who haven't traded their swimsuits for the gold in public speaking appearances and endorsements. Post-Olympic blues conquered, they showed they're still the best in U.S. swimming, winning 10 of the 14 individ- ual events. The only races escaping them were the breast- strokes, where Kim Rhodenbaugh didn't appear because of college studies and Susan Rapp because of an injury, and the IMs, where all three (Caulkins, Nancy Hogshead and Sue Heon) are now retired. Tiffany Cohen headed the Olympic contingent with a triple in the distance freestyles including an American o record in the 1000. Mary T. Meagher and Betsy Mitchell "6 doubled in the butterfly and backstroke, while Jenna Michelle Griglione (left) won her first national title, winning the 400 Johnson, Dara Torres and Mary Wayte won the 50, 100 IM as she had at this year's USS International meet. Mary Wayte and 200 freestyles, respectively. repeated her Olympic 200 freestyle win with a victory at Nationals. But their level of performance wasn't near last sum- mer's. Just one American and meet record was set, and tional championships in 1981; that was in the infrequently-swum 1000 by Cohen. Al- • the 200 breaststroke and 400 IM were the second though the East Los Angeles pool is considered fast with slowest first-place times since 1977. 10 American records falling the last time the Indoors In 1977, the last year American women were coming were held there in 1979, the following lows occurred: off an Olympics, 12 national records were set. So the • the 1650, 100 breaststroke, 200 IM and 400 medley poor performances can't be traced to a post-Games let- and freestyle relays were the slowest winning times since down. However, the difference may be that in 1977 the 1977 at a short course nationals; women were more motivated to do well after winning • the 50 was the slowest since it was added to the na- only one gold medal at the 1976 Games. With the Com- munist Bloc boycott of the past Olympics, the Ameri- cans won 10 of 13 women's events. Betsy Mitchell was a redshirt at Texas this year, but at Nationals she was red hot, streaking to wins in both the 100 and 200 backstrokes. Secondly, superstars are a vanishing breed in U.S. women's swimming. With the retirement of Caulkins, Sippy Woodhead and Kim Linehan, Meagher is the only active American female swimmer to have set a world record. Cohen, who has done everything except better a world mark, extended her distance freestyle unbeaten streak at short course national meets to nine with her triple. She's now won 17 national titles. In the 1000, Tiffany tailed 1S-year-old Mission Viejo teammate Kim Brown the opening 400 before taking the lead. The two swam together until Cohen gradually pulled away the final 250 meters to win in 9:28.32, bet- tering Kim Linehan's American record of 9:29.97 set three years ago. Brown finished in 9:31.71 to become the third-fastest performer of all time. "I didn't know what the record was," said Cohen, "so I just swam my race and tried to have fun. I had a hard time getting motivated after the NCAAs." The 1000 was the only event swum on the first day of Nationals, which Tiffany said made it difficult "to get into the meet (emotionally)." o "6 She said she tried to find the clock during her race, but the sun, shining through the windows on the south 58 Swimming World/May 1985 Jenna Johnson jumped out of the 100 free (she was DQed), and was With Kim Rhodenbaugh and Susan Rapp as no-shows, Jenny Hau had touched out in the 100 fly by Mary T., but won the title in the 50 free. the chance to surprise the field of breaststrokers with a win in the 100. side of the pool, was in her eyes. She also looked for her "This meet is more low-key than the NCAAs because club coach, Mark Schubert, but couldn't find him either. of the team goal there," said Cohen. "Although we are Cohen and Brown were also alone during the final- going for a team title here, too." day 1650. Tiffany didn't pull away from Kim until the Brossman did a career-best 4:40.18 to become the last six laps. She won in 16:00.83, almost seven seconds sixth-fastest performer ever. slower than her NCAA victory two weeks ago and well "I was happy with my race," she said. "I paced it like I off her American record of 15:46.54. wanted and hung in there. It was the most fun I've had "! was tired tonight," Cohen said. "It was a long meet, racing. This was my best race because I got back the and this was my second taper so I was swimming to lead once after giving it up and she didn't catch me till win." the end." Brown's runner-up time of 16:02.41 was a career best. Both Cohen and Mary Wayte, who edged Brossman Asked if she would have gone faster if Kim had, Tiffany in the 200, talked during the meet about taking it easy answered, "I think so. She has never beaten me, and I this summer before training hard for the 1986 World didn't want her to this time." Championships in Madrid.